Blog: Worrapolava

OK, so I haven't sniffed 'round these parts for a whole year. But honestly, this was too good not to post. Holestar 's new EP, The Queen of F***ing Everything is a bonafide HIT. 3,000 views on YouTube and blog love around the world = HIT. Watch the video below... And the other two tracks: The Insider by Holestar Another Heartbeat by Holestar [...]

• Holestar - Another Heartbeat
• Holestar - The Insider

Midweek I glimpsed the rarest of things: a bona fide live showcase. In these days of fewer and fewer new artists getting a bite of the financial apple, it was quite exciting to troll down to the launch of Edei (pronounced Ee-dee). My mate was even more up for it: "It's been years since I went to one of these things." Like how long? "Er, Eternal. When there were four of 'em". The money behind Edei is well-deserved though. The 22 year old Londoner has a raspy, distinctive voice that sounds like she's been doing it [...]

Just because I can and because I think this is a much better use of space on the revamped myspace, here's a demo of a song I've been working on with the fabulous Holestar. This is Dirty Men . Think gay men's thoughts sung by a lesbian playing a tranny. It's not hard. Or it will be by the end of the track... Clicky Linky here: Dirty Men - Holestar by phileastend Let us know your thoughts!

As Chartrigger says, some of the Pet Shop Boys videos have been lacking the usual creative flair. Maybe not t his one , but definitely this one . So it's refreshing to see the new video for Together . Admittedly, the classic girl dance versus boy urban dancers isn't new, but at least it's classic PSB.

I'm in love with a German boogie star. Hamburg-based producer, Marco Niemerski aka Tensnake , does the kind of music that makes our Indian summer feel like July. His summer anthem, re-released last month should be riding high on the charts. Admittedly the time may have passed, but if you want an excuse not to dig out that bloody winter coat, just put on your speedos, sit in front of a big light, pop on the Raybans and bathe in the glorious warm funk of Coma Cat . Oh. And buy it here .

It's enough to make me quote Kenneth Williams: "What's the bloody point?" The reasons for Blogger taking down posts are becoming more draconian. I received notice that the one below was taken down. Why? I'll leave you to judge whether my own campy humour, a picture of Grum and a video for his latest single infringes anyone's copyright. If it's about offending sensibilities, then it all becomes a bit more Big Straight Brother, which is worrying... Hetero yet totally non-hetero, I love a good bromance. And this video from Grum for their [...]

Now if you go wandering in the woods of Stoke Newington, London, namely Clissold Park, you'll more than likely bump into this pair strumming on a guitar and beating on a paint tin to a background of soft rock synths. Gypsy and the Cat - which one's which, who can say - have upped sticks from Oz and settled over here producing big anthemic pop; the kind that raises a smile through tears. Sniff. Xavier Bacash and Lionel Towers (FAB names) have a brand new album out, Giglamesh , which is [...]

Hetero yet totally non-hetero, I love a good bromance. And this video from Grum for their new single Through the Night hits the spot. Granted, I'd rather see Ashley Judd and Ryan Reynolds a-huggin' an' a-fruggin' but these two mulleted cops are still pretty do-able. Check them out at 2:16. Grum is a Scottish bloke called Graeme Shepherd who became the blogger's delight last year with his single Heartbeats . He'll soon pop up on a forthcoming Pet Shop Boys release with a remix of West End Girls , and [...]

That pesky Belgian duo, Aeroplane , have ram-raided my fashion cupboard and nicked all my ideas for this season's outfits. The cheek! Anyhoo, it makes their video for the newly released single, Superstar , stand out from the pack. Go buy it here . After DJing around the globe over the summer, they've finally landed their new album We Can't Fly and parked it on my iPod. It's got their trademark languid groove with a few 'rockier' numbers I'm less keen on. But as a [...]

Well, Monsieur Electrosexual has created a monster. This duet with Mz Sunday Luv is deep and massive, like a thumping heartbeat on a dancefloor heady with amyl. I Feel Love is out now as an EP with three other all-meat tracks ( clicky here for the UK - oh, and here and here ).

28 years after the original version was played every week as the theme tune for the BBC's cheapo saturday show Get Set For Summer , Yazoo's Get Set is OUT NOW! As a single!! Here!!! I remember the TV show being outside a lot, but with a British summer, that usually meant bands looking pissed off, slipping onstage as their peacock hairdos flattened in the drizzle. Yazoo - Get Set (1982) by phileastend [...]

Years ago, in high school, my headmaster told me the French called pop music 'Yé-Yé music'. It wasn't meant as some cultural snippet but as a sneering put down. He was the same headmaster who blubbed to the local press when Neil Tennant wrote It's a Sin about his time at the same school. In other words, the man was a boring shit who hated pop music. And by dismissing Yé-Yé music, he missed out on something joyous. No wonder he was miserable. Here are two pop songs currently making me feel vindicated. [...]

The marvelous Hot Lips duo from Sweden, Pacific! are back! Back!! BACK!! And gone all frightwig on us. Delving into the depths of the universe they've come back with Narcissus , a bone-shaking, sonic-bothering, rumbler of a dance track that made my arse cheeks quiver. Heads up to Jon Pleased Wimmin who put this on his facebook with a warning. It's hard to believe it's the same band who's debut album, Reveries , was such a squelchy, funky laid back affair. But I [...]

I can inhale this track all day. In.... and out. Goldsmiths alumni Katy B is all over the radio and much deserved too. Sidestepping the current Brit sound to create their own hugely appealing version of dubstep, Katy and producer Benga have hit on a winning formula. Check out the current A-listed Katy On a Mission and the just as amarze Louder .

Well this one sneaked out... Mischa Barton's new squeeze, the clubbing fashionista, Ali Love, has a proper collection of ten tracks released as a bona fide album, Love Harder . Following the killer singles, Diminishing Returns and Love Harder , this album should be MASSIVE. Think of a straight Sylvester. That's Ali Love. Love Harder is quite an achievement. Every track is accomplished dance/pop. He's kept the huge 80s feel of his earlier material but added a twist with dirty synths and filthy [...]

It's taken well over a year , but Hurt's Wonderful Life single finally gets an official video in the run up to the release next month. The Hurts camp have been clever in their mass global awareness campaign. Like a slow creeper, they've spread roots all over Europe. It remains to be seen whether or not it all pays off: the last stop before release, radio play seems to be non-existent. I find it very odd that Radio 1 are resolutely ignoring one of the most talked about bands of 2010. With a few weeks to go, [...]

A friend of mine bemoaned the lack of updates here, "I suppose there's nothing new worth writing about though". Coming from the queen of the bright and shiny and all that's new, it's a big statement. But he and I both know there's loads of new stuff worth writing about, it's just we take our eyes of the horizon for a bit of a rest. And that's where we uncover hidden gems from the past. Or rather, it becomes the new discovery. And that quite neatly sums up the stunning collection of 33 (bloody Nora!) tracks Moon on a [...]

...oops, just saw the last blog post was April 17th. Tsk tsk. Well, there's been loads happening while I've been away, making music and shiz. I meant to post this video ages ago, so here it is; better late than never. I love the deluxe minimalism of this track So Lonely by Chris Sorbello. The production on it is top notch, especially the way they give her vocals the necessary ice cool sheen.

And so, for Independent Record Shop Day, here is my own first Top Ten. I happily trolled down to WH Smith for what were only 7" singles because, of course, an album didn't even figure in my pre-teen brain. I was always slightly disappointed when I didn't get the picture sleeve version and only realised years later that WH Smith was the one shop you were guaranteed to get the boring sleeve. I played these records on permanent rotation which is why they're etched into my brain. 1. New Musik - Living By [...]

WHOOP! WHOOP! It's here at last! NyLon Woman the debut single by London's favourite 'tranny with a fanny', Holestar, is OUT NOW! And I'm screaming about it because I wrote it. You can read all about my involvement here . With a punk ethos that would have made Malcolm McLaren proud, Holestar is out to prove a point; namely, that the DIY route is so much easier in this digital age. For one, it's cheaper to produce than ever before and secondly, the reach to music fans is worldwide in a heartbeat. The [...]